Spotlight on: Neil “Nsj” San Juan of DeadlyKittens

The quiet and mysterious Neil “Nsj” San Juan has enjoyed quite an illustrious gaming career in the Philippines. Formerly known as vyy, he made his mark as a player in the professional League team, the Manila Eagles. Today, he lends his considerable talents to the DeadlyKittens in the flex role.

Please give us a short introduction about yourself and your history in HotS.

Hi, I’m Neil San Juan, also known as Nsj or vyy. I’ve been playing HotS since the Alpha, and I’ve been in the competitive scene since the Road to Blizzcon 2015.

You’re the team’s flex player, so it’s normal for you to switch around a lot. Which do you think are your best roles where you make the most impact?

I think I make the most impact when I’m playing the damage dealer type of heroes.

Being a competitive player thrusts you and your actions into the spotlight. What do you feel about having your gameplay scrutinised so greatly, and how do you come to terms with it?

I have no problems with being scrutinised if it helps me improve my gameplay.

You were the first player to make it to Grandmaster #1 in North America’s Hero League leaderboards back in Season 2. What advice do you have for players who are looking to climb to the top of the ladder solo?

When we got eliminated from HGC at worlds, I just spammed Hero League matches in the practice area, which was only available for like 3-5 days. It was my only chance to play Hero League on the North American server with sub-50ms ping, alongside the best players in the world; most of the top tier teams were also playing HL during their free time.

My advice for climbing the ladder would be to increase your hero pool so you can play any role or hero that’s needed in a certain draft.

The lag issues in the Philippines certainly hamper your gaming, and have undoubtedly been a source of frustration for yourself and your teammates. You’ve been in esports for a while; has it gotten any better, and have you ever considered moving elsewhere to play under more favourable conditions?

It has gotten better especially here in the Philippines. If there wasn’t a 6 months residency rule, I might have considered moving to any of the major regions for HotS.

To find out more about the rest of his team-mates: http://zenway.sg/Deadlykittens_WhoWeAre